picked this cruise because of start and finish in Vancouver rather than flying one way. 99% of passengers were retired, staff were very attentive, dining menus were varied. went to Rudy's Sel De Mer one evening , the meal was excellent as was the waitress, only fault was that we felt rushed when the entree came minutes after the appitisers. After asking the waitress to slow down dessert came when we wanted it. cabin 6085 was a signature suite with tub and shower stall, the hot water control and the shower diverter in the tub was not working when we boarded but was fixed shortly after telling stateroom attendant. embarking and disembarking was a breeze. Our luggage was at our cabin within an hour of boarding. overall the cruise was great, weather to and from Hawaii was not good. i would recommend Holland America. in fact we are doing a transpacific cruise on the Noordam. Read Less

We sailed from Vancouver on April 12. It was cold for the first 3 days and the last 3 days. Even the Canadians were wearing their coats outside. Many people hung out on the aft pool deck because there is no smoking on the ship except for a designated area on the aft pool deck. There is no cigar lounge. Many people were seasick the first day due to rough seas. The mid-ship pool is in a large atrium that can be opened, a great feature for a ship especially one sailing through varying weather. It was warm in there when cold outside. In warm weather, they did open it. We had fixed dinner reservations for 5:45. A 7:45 seating and walk-in dining were also available. The dinners were all very good. Portions were right-sized but they would be happy to bring you seconds if you wanted. We ate at each of the specialty restaurants once. There were certainly good too but we thought the value proposition is questionable given the quality of the main dining room. At the Lido buffet, the food is put on plates by servers, as opposed to the self-serve we were used too. Their lunch time taco bar and hamburger stand was very good. It was hard to find a seat during breakfast and lunch, they could definitely use more tables in the public areas. Drinks were about $7 for a beer and about $8 - $9 for a cocktail. But, they have two happy hours, one from 4 - 5 pm and one from 10 - 11 pm. During happy hour, you can get a second drink for $2 more. Happy hour is only valid at two of the bars. They are named on the daily itinerary sheet that is placed in your cabin. Fountain sodas are $2:30 each. The entertainment was good. The main stage was typical cruise ship entertainment, mostly singers and one magician that was very funny. We especially enjoyed the BB King Blues Club. They have a laundry service that can be unlimited, by the item, or by the bag. The by the bag option was $20 per bag and we could stuff about 3- 5 days of clothes in a bag. Highlights of the trip included the Capilano suspension bridge in Vancouver, the Old Lahaina Luau on Maui, the Arizona Memorial, and hiking Diamond Head. Try to get your tickets to the Arizona memorial in advance or you may not get in. Hiking Diamond Head requires the ability to walk 2 miles and climb many stairs. On days the ship tenders, be sure to pick up your tender tickets early or you may be waiting a long time to get off the ship. It seemed to take forever to get anywhere on the public bus in Honolulu. We finally gave up and used Uber. The gym was large and in good shape. It had several treadmills, ellipticals, bikes and weight some weight equipment. They offered several classes for additional fee including spin, stretching, yoga, etc. Computer classes were offered daily, but they filled up quickly. You had to be there well in advance to get a seat. All are listed on the ship's daily itinerary. Classes from America's Test Kitchen were offered daily in the BB King Blues Lounge. They were informative and entertaining. You don't get to eat the food though. Read Less

For perspective, we have cruised over 50 times starting in 1981 and are now in our mid 60’s. We are 4 star mariners with HAL and Elite with Princess. We have also cruised with celebrity, crystal, Oceania, Royal Caribbean and a bunch of lines that have been incorporated into other lines. The great and good. We were impressed with the consistency of the quality of the meals in MDR. We were on select dining rather than fixed. At 7:15 we did not have any wait for a table for 4. We sat in a number of different areas and the service, both wine and dinner were consistent. No wrong steps if I asked the server what was recommended that evening. Wine service showed great improvement since last year. Stewards were knowledgeable and able to recommend comparable and complimentary choices. Very good job. Lunch in Pinnacle Grill is well worth $10 pp. excellent service and selection. The Dive in burgers and fries always good as is the use of pagers. We appreciate that there is no self serve in the Lido - food consistent again - enjoyed creating fresh turkey sandwiches when the carvery had turkey. Freshly prepared eggs, omelets in morning, fresh pasta bar at lunch. We did nit visit for dinner. The entertainment was good, not fantastic but good enough to sit through. The singers didn’t seem to have synergy which affected the performance notwithstanding good voices. I guess they didn’t seem to be enjoying their jobs. The classical quartet at Lincoln centre was excellent. The piano dual were extremely popular as usual. B.B. kings was same as always. Worth a visit. Our cabin service was excellent - the hair dryer “died” on formal night of course and we had a replacement in under 10 minutes. Darn good when he was rushing to get his turn down service completed for early diners. The ship was in good shape with the promenade deck chairs seeming quite new. Everything seemed to be in very good repair. Not so great and good. Having sailed on holland just 12 months previous, the increase in prices for drinks, happy hours, wine packages, wine tastings, sip and savour were surprising, not that there were increases but how large the increases were. Normally, price increases kind of sneak up on you, these increases slapped you in the face. Very limited daily programs - many days at sea and we expected to have morning and afternoon guest lecturers. Basically there was just not enough enrichment offered. It was a problem because we had very poor weather and a nasty Pacific Ocean — so with no library, no morning movies, no matinees at a convenient time yo7 were either forced to stay in your cabin to watch tv. I looked forward to trivia at 1:30 - hadn’t played before so that says something. Minimal inventory in the shops and no fun sales. Duty free was anything but with the prices exceeding what we would pay in a government liquor store. We bought vodka at Walmart in Honolulu and had it checked until we got home. Servicein pinnacle grill for dinner was not up to standard. We were seated at a table just outside the galley door at the service station for a large area. The back of the banquet we were seated a5 held the water jugs for the area. The wine server gave us a bit of snark for firstly not ordering wine off the pinnacle list (we had wine package) and our friends asked to have their bottle brought from diningroom. It arrived but then the steward divided the more than half bottle into their two glasses. It was the lady’s wine. And that was the last we saw of him. We still enjoy the formal night aspect of cruising and we don’t expect everyone else will but I don’t understand why some guests make no effort what so ever. I have never seen such a motley group of travellers. I guess I don’t understand the issue of a gentleman wearing a pair of slacks and a shirt and a lady wearing a sundress or pants and a nice blouse. Something you might wear to a church wedding or special dinner out. Undershirt style t shirts , perhaps not. It’s a part of the tradition. Lastly, and in my opinion only, cruise lines in general need to reassess their policies on tendering. The mobility challenged create an unreasonable risk to themselves, the crew, and other passengers. Our tenders were full of wheelchairs and walkers presenting a hazard should we needed to evacuate the tender., the crew basically are lifting a lot of people on and off. It is not fair to them particularly if there is an accident. And one guest died after falling while trying to get onto a tender. The tender ports are well advertised and it should be acceptable that walkers/wheelchairs and those requiring the same be denied tender service. Everyone knows upfront and may gear 5heir cruises to itineraries with no tendering required. It is just plain scary. An average experience . Read Less

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My wife and I wanted to celebrate our 55th wedding anniversary by going to Hawaii to escape cold weather without a long airflight. We have taken numerous cruises with Holland America and enjoyed all of them except that we can notice cutbacks in many areas. First, the good: The staff, in general, was very friendly and helpful, (more on staff heads later). We didn't need much extra, but when I contacted the front desk for minor things, they were very helpful. The food was excellent with a reasonable number of choices. The exception was that the soups in the Lido were almost all purees that didn't have much taste. The service in the main dining room was sometimes very slow, but they were really working at it (probably a result of staff cutbacks). The staff in the Lido was always ready to help or bring drinks or anything else that was needed. We did not take many shore excursions because we had been to Hawaii several times and had taken most of the tours we were really interested in, and it seems that they have gotten considerably more expensive. Now the bad: The ship was recently refurbished and has a brighter look and some high tech displays on deck 10 where they now sell land tours and future cruises instead of the night club where it should be to avoid continually frigid throughout the hallways and especially the main showroom. Many passengers wore jackets (not sport jackets) throughout the day. There was a scarcity of onboard activities, especially for 5 sea days each way, although they had plenty of art auctions. The computer classes were good, but the internet was very slow and unreliable even though it was expensive. The average of the passengers was close to 80 and most of the main stage shows were totally inappropriate to the passenger age level, except for shows put on by "Hawaiian Ambassadors" on the ship or those who came on at Honolulu. The sound was unbearably loud (decibel level over 100 as measured by a fellow passenger; anything over 85 is detrimental to hearing ability) in all the venues, including the Lincoln Center Stage (classical music) even when they were accompanying a BBC Earth film. When complaints were voiced about the cold and the volume at the "coffee chats" (there was no coffee involved) with staff heads, the responses were " Thanks for the input", "it's hard to control the temperature" and not that the volume would be turned down, but "the volume has been turned down from what it used to be" and nothing was done, As one passenger put it, "if the sound has been turned down, I can't imagine what it was like before". The Cruise Director seemed to only be around to introduce acts or conduct afternoon trivia or "coffee chats": we did not see her mixing with passengers. The staff heads were unresponsive to input from the passengers. We've taken numerous cruises with Holland America, but we've had about enough and no longer recommend HAL to our friends. Read Less

A destination we've always wanted to try and it didn't disappoint. Embarkation was as easy and quick a always. Arrived by 11 on board before noon. Ship is absolutely beautiful. Crows nest is reconfigured. Didn't have a problem with it but - there is plenty of room for a larger library, dance floor and a quiet dance group. EXC is ok where it is but there is lots of unused space. New seats were nice as far as I am concerned. They took the dance space out of the Ocean Bar and people danced on the carpet where they could find room. One more small, quiet group that you could enjoy and/or dance too would have been nice. Cabin was ready and nicely redone. Bathroom is small and needs a little updating but everything worked well. Bed was comfortable and bedding wonderful. Room steward was beyond accommodating as on any HAL ship. Dining in MDR was very good and service great - I do feel there has been a cut back on staffing and that makes it tough. Dinners did not take as long as some people have said. Lido was delish and if you can't find something you like, well..... I loved the 'pre-made' sandwich which gets a bad rap. Fruit was yummy and breakfast is always good. Pinnacle Grill was over the top. Dive In has great burgers and fries. Entertainment was so so in the main stage area. BB King Blues band is beyond good and the dueling piano bar was packed every time they played. Biggest issue is - happy hour only in two spots and not nearly enough staff to man the stations. Not enough Drink staff by the pools either. The Ports were great - didn't do any HAL excursions - pricey! Booked a 10-1 tour in Costa Rica with Thumbs Up tours !!!!! Will never forget it. ATV tour with Amigos tours in Cabo - also good. We ended up on a 'tour' with a local in Nicaragua - great - $10. Chiapas was not needed and not enough time in Cabo. Had a minor problem with the Greenhouse Spa charging mandatory 15% gratuity and not telling you till you were done ( it was printed in fine print in a couple of places) Would consider it again as there is lots to see but there are lots of other cruises to take also. Read Less

The Westerdam Circle Island cruise was a perfect choice as it was literally round-trip from our hometown.... Also, we'd heard good things about Holland America and figured we would give it a try...as we are in the process of shifting travel gears to do more cruising in the future. Two thousand passengers is a whole lot of people to confine in close quarters for a lengthy sea voyage, but with a balcony as respite from the 'Madding Crowd' we were OK with that. The ship is lovely, well appointed, after removal of the atrium concept others have, felt more like a real ship. The 2017 refurb left things very spiffy looking and well functioning. As it was a longer cruise the travelers were all adults...no kids or teenagers and mostly the crowd was 50+ in age. While that made for pleasant company, it also meant more passengers needing quite a bit of assistance and slower elevator times. Again, not a problem but a consideration. I felt there could have been more staff available to assist in the buffet area, however. Not easy leaning on a cane or pushing a walker with a plate of food!! Just a minor note! If I have any criticism at all it is this: the entertainment was in most cases not what I would assume an older crowd (and I am in that group) would appreciate. The shows generally were very "Las Vegas" meaning loud, glitzy and over amped. We attended those which were a bit more aimed at our taste. Also, the enrichment programs were scanty and poorly done. One major exception: THE HAWAIIAN AMBASSADORS aboard ship were amazingly knowledgeable and presented fascinating lectures and programs for us all. The trip home offered nothing along the lines of 'enrichment'. The staff in the MDR seemed overwhelmed at times with the amount of work. I frankly don't know how they coped, so despite what other reviewers may say, I found the food amazingly good: properly prepared, professionally served, and pleasantly tasty. I honestly believe most of the severe criticism I read is based on some assumption that the MDR is supposed to be a five star experience. You honestly cannot expect that when it comes to feeding 2,000 people a variety of foods. The food in the buffet was tasty and offered a wide variety. I was, however, chagrined to see passengers filling their personal coffee and water bottles/containers at the urns, despite a prominent sign asking them not to do so. A crew member standing guard and making sure it didn't happen might have helped. The whole concept of doing this is, to me, a bit outrageous. All the staff were very helpful and ready to fulfill any request....there just didn't seem to be enough of them...that is HAL's failing as I don't think it is limited to the Westerdam. Over all, would I sail again on HAL. Yes, depending on the itinerary and ship size--the smaller the better. Thanks for listening! Read Less

Greed seems to be the drive for Holland America and the parent company (Carnival). The internet service was worse than the old dial up system in the 90's, and at $25. a day or $179. for the cruise, it was definitely not worth it. We signed up, but had to wait for emails and or Text, finally just waited until the next port to answer emails and other communications I liked the Idea of paying gratuities up front, but it took the encentive away from the service personal onboard. Of course some strived to please while others just did as little as possible to get by. Service suffered in the main dining room as it was 30 to 45 minutes between courses. Weather prevented us from going to one Island (one I was really looking forward to visit) and only port charges were refunded. We spent an extra day on Oahu which we had already been on for two days, I realize all costs for the cruise line remained except for fuel cost to travel to the other Island. I believe some restitution is in order, after all we paid to visit four islands and only visited three. Ship problems occurred on the way back and had to stop the ship to keep ballast from banging the hull of the ship. You could hear and feel it throughout the ship. Lots of shuttering and vibrations at night prevented a good nights sleep and we were as far away from motors as possible. Not all was bad of course, ship was well appointed, and we watched some good movies on sea days (very expensive way to watch movies I might say) All in all the cruise was average at best, and the ships sells people did there best to sell you everything possible. Photos were fuzzy and expensive, the whole experience reminded me of "Hey Lady Beach" in Mexico, if you catch my drift. Read Less

On March 4, 2017, my wife and I disembarked from an 18 Day round trip cruise from San Diego, CA. to Hawaii aboard the Holland America cruise ship ms Westerdam. First let me tell you what we liked about our journey, because I also want to let you know what we DID NOT like, and why we were very disappointed in this overall cruise experience. The 2 young men, Rozi and Nana, that took care of our cabin were outstanding and treated us with respect and made us feel like VIPs. The Cruise Director Simon and his Assistant Taylor were also outstanding. They genuinely enjoyed their position, and worked very hard at entertaining the passengers. The nightly shows were very entertaining, especially Viviana Guzman and Rob Watson. Our dining room waiter, Riris, was very professional, and accommodating to all of our wants and needs. We booked our cruise through CostCo Travel. We had originally booked a Balcony Stateroom, Stateroom Room # 5076. During the time we first made our reservations on March 18, 2016, until January 11, 2017 my wife’s medical conditions deteriorated to the point where she now required a Mobility Scooter. We contacted CostCo Travel to inquire about getting a handicap room large enough to accommodate the Mobility Scooter . Unfortunately, NO handicap rooms were available. We had CostoCo Travel further inquire if there was someplace other than in our room to park the scooter since there was not sufficient room in our cabin to park it. At this point we were told NO, and the only option was for a larger stateroom. When I inquired about the upgrade, I was told it would cost an additional $ 3760.00. At first I declined, thinking I would just have to dismantle the scooter to store it in the room every night. The scooter comes apart into 5 pieces. I really didn’t think the additional cost was a good value for the little extra space provided, however my wife convinced me to upgrade to the Signature suite. So Now we are aboard the ship in a $10,767.66 Signature Suite # 8058 with a scooter. On our way to our cabin after the Vista Lounge show, and what do we see. Two scooters parked in the forward elevator area. We were told that there were NO areas where we could park a scooter outside of our cabin, yet here are 2 scooters, and we paid an additional $3,760.66 for a larger room for us to park our scooter inside the cabin. I was very disappointed with the service in the Lido Market. I was hoping to get some assistance with getting food for my handicapped wife. Why aren’t trays available for people to use to pick up their food in one trip instead of having to make several trips through the lines to get ones food? Not once did I receive assistance carrying several plates for me and my wife to the table. The Lido Waiters seemed more interested in filling glasses with tea and lemonade than assisting folks. I believe there was an exceptional number of a folk with handicaps on board this cruise. We chose this cruise because we live in San Diego, therefore No Airports, and NO Airplane travel required. We didn't realize it was a Senior Cruise until we got on board and got a look at the other guests. Not a problem, we are 75 years old. If I had to guess the average age of the guests on board this cruise, I would say it was 77. Breakfast: For 18 days, there was “LUMPY” and “WATERY” oatmeal, cream-of-wheat , and grits. I’m not a cook, but it quit apparent what was going on. Whoever was making these items was doing it backward. You do NOT pour the hot water into the pot of dry oatmeal, cream-of-wheat , and grits, but you stir the oatmeal, cream-of-wheat , and grits into the pot of HOT water to prevent Lumps. Because the dry ingredients did NOT absorb the liquid properly, the mixture was watery. We don’t eat eggs every day for breakfast at home, so we applied the same rule to the cruise. The days I ordered an omelet, I received what looked more like a scrambled eggs. When the cook went to flip the omelet it just fell apart. I don’t know what they mixed into the omelet batter, but it was obvious there was something in there besides just eggs. The egg batter looked clabbered, and also tasted strange. Lunch: We are soup for lunch people so we were looking forward to a nice tasty bowl of soup during the cruise. I don’t know if the cook thought he was making GOURMET soups, but his concoctions were terrible. You don’t mess with Chicken Noodle Soup, it does NOT NEED anything added to it, just serve tasty chicken noodle soup. The same goes for chicken with wild rice. Beef barley if done right doesn’t need anything else added. The worst was the “Navy Bean Soup” Why would anyone puree all the beans and call it soup. On the other side Broccoli soup taste much better as Broccoli-Cheese soup. Pureed broccoli in a cream base is BLAH! Diner: If you are going to serve fish, you need to have a cook that knows how to cook fish. Over cooked fish is unacceptable. The salmon, mahi mahi and other fish that were served were over cooked and dried out. The Mexican Food served on the Friday we docked in Mexico was SO BAD, I couldn’t believe it was being served. You would have been better off going to CostCo and purchased their ready made burritos and enchiladas heated them up and served them. I have to question the ability of the cooks you hire. I have lived in San Diego for over 50 years, so Mexican Food is something we have frequently. The Chicken Marsala I ordered that was on the menu in the main dining was very disappointing. Chicken Marsala is already a tasty gourmet dish, and should not have anything added to it. The dried cranberries that were in the dish I was served diluted the flavor of the Marsala sautéed mushrooms. If the cooks do not know how to cook, they need to at least try following a recipe. Due to the taste and quality of the food served on this cruise, it created problems for my diabetic wife. She had a difficult time finding things to satisfy her TASTE and maintain her blood sugar levels. I sincerely hope someone looks into these matters and does something to correct them. Read Less

Having long wanted to visit Hawaii, and disinclined to take any more flights than necessary, I saw this as a perfect opportunity to escape some of winter. Additionally, we have a Navy Seal grandson stationed at San Diego, so the two days before and one day after allowed time to catch up, as well as to enjoy the city. The only downside was the horrendous music festival on March 4-5, whose sound penetrated our adjoining hotel's walls. I have no problem with other people choosing their music, but do not like being kept awake by what amounted to a public nuisance. We enjoyed dinner at Little Italy, and the entire waterfront area. Boarding was badly handled due to long lines at check-in because there was only one person doing initial ID checks on the close to two thousand boarding passengers. Once past this initial bottleneck, everything went swiftly and smoothly. Debarkation was very smooth and efficient. MDR service was traditional HAL quality, menu selections were good - and well served. Entertainment was also traditional HAL - not exciting, but reasonable - except for the over-produced cast shows: the singers and dancers were talented, but the productions were pretentious. We had a couple of minor problems with stateroom: air conditioning and toilet - but they were competently addressed when reported. If you enjoy being at sea and courteous, friendly service, and good food - but do not require endless go-go entertainment, this itinerarynnis ideal. If you require much external stimulation, you might want to think,of other lines. We enjoyed it. Read Less

Celebrating 50 years of marriage. Wanted an adult cruise, few kids. we haven't cruised in 25 years so things change. Most people on this cruise were older, 70's plus, and many were physically challenged. We are "young 70's" and were pretty bored. First five days were at sea. Not a lot of entertainment. BB King Allstars were fantastic, main shows not so much. Service onboard was exceptional. Our cabin stewards (DoDo and SoSo) were outstanding. Wait staff and food service staff were fantastic. Only complaints I had were they ran out of Crown Royal half way through the cruise???? There was one waiter pouring coffee on the Lido deck so you might as well plan on serving yourself in the morning. Breakfast was nothing special, eggs, bacon etc. Made to order eggs were very good and cooked to perfection. Main dining room we did not care for. Breakfast was cold when served, eggs were very runny and bacon was not cooked enough. Couldn't get any coffee there either. Commented on the survey card sent to our room. Head waiter apologized and assured us it wouldn't happen again. Next morning, cold breakfast etc. We were disappointed in the food overall. I would compare it to Golden Corral. It was always hot but not much variety. All the breads were very crusty and tough. Very hard to bite into for us older folks. Not much choice for desserts. As I said earlier it has been some time since our last cruise and we remembered the lavish buffets and meals. We took a couple shore excursions and we enjoyed them very much. Only complaint was there were no bathroom facilities on board and no arrangements to stop anywhere. Not a good idea to feed "old folks" a big breakfast and then stick them on a bus for hours. Read Less

We were interested in a warm weather cruise with plenty of sea days. Usually cruise with Celebrity But this was our 4th cruise on HAL The ship is a good size & tastefully decorated except for a couple of ghastly ornate benches near some elevators. The lounge areas were nice & comfy. Entertainment was varied. The BB King show was great! There were usually 3 shows per evening with a couple nights off ; Some of the lectures were interesting & some so so;. Good movies but poor viewing area. At least the movies could be watched the next day on the cabin tv. ; There is a DVD player in the cabin & DVDS may be borrowed @ no charge from Guest Relations ; There is an American Test Kitchen that was a cooking demo. It appeared to be very popular just not for me.; THE BAND was excellent & had frequent shows;. There was the usual trivia shows & bingo .; Several dance classes for tango.cha-cha, line dancing, waltz. Several bars but our fav was the Ocean Bar Food above average but Celebrity may be a bit better , WE ate dinner in MDR & Lido Marketplace. Great crew!!! Comfortable cabins but dreadful lighting around vanity/ desk. BEST DISEMBARKATION EVER ! Read Less

We were invited to join some friends on this cruise. Since my partner hates to fly and this left from our Hometown of San Diego-we decided to give it at try. We are 2 star Mariners and although we've been on many cruises but never one with so many sea days and we were apprehensive. We booked a balcony VB4166. The room is standard but the veranda is twice as large as the others on the upper promenade ( not including Neptune Suites) as we enjoy entertaining and spending time out there. We were unable to spend much time out there as the weather was very windy at times on the way to HI but when we were able there was maintenance going on directly below us and on the aft Lido deck. It was very annoying. They called and offered us earplugs which we considered laughable. In the end they did give us a credit off our bill which was very welcome. Early dining was okay. We were seated at a table of ten and lucked out with our table mates.I considered the menu to have little variation ( the first 3 nights-peppered tenderloin was offered). If you don't like cilantro or fish there isnt much to choose from, Our servers were very nice but not really personable and the food was mediocre many nights. Wine steward was really seen. Our room stewards were excellent and the bar staff on the Lido deck were terrific! Ocean bar too. Overall we enjoyed this cruise and even though we are seniors (69 &73) I would say that most passengers were much older and less mobile than most. if you're looking for a younger crowd and late entertainment check out a different cruise. Read Less

We had only taken a 6 day cruise to the Bahamas previously, so felt we were really stepping out to do an 18 day cruise. First of all, we could not praise our room steward, Aziz, and his partner Dan enough. They were friendly, competent, & personable. Our verandah suite was comfy with even more storage than we needed. It seemed we were always eating! While some of the lunches & dinners in Lido were "so-so" (and I'd agree that the fish was overcooked on several occasions), the breakfasts and desserts were top-notch! We also enjoyed the Dive-In and the taco bar. We ate at Pinnacle Grill for lunch which was good but, again, the dessert was the star of the show. We found the dining room to be too formal for our more casual selves at dinner but had good breakfasts there on several occasions. It was a treat to order room-service coffee every morning which arrived minutes after the order was placed. The room-service lunches were also excellent. We're now missing soft-serve ice cream and our nightly cookie snack! Since we had relatives to tour us around Oahu for two days (Punchbowl, USS Arizona, Buddhist temple, blowholes and more, plus a wonderful time at the Polynesian Cultural Center including a luau and the evening show), we skipped a shore excursion in Kauai, preferring to shop & lay on the beach. Our whale watch in Lahaina was fun. We could not get as close to the whales as we do on whale watches in Boston, but the flip side is that we saw so many...and some only 200 feet or so from our balcony on the ship! We did the submarine dive in Kona (fun!) and had a wonderful naturalist, Kent, for a tour of waterfalls, a lava tube cave & black sand beach on Hilo. That excursion was enhanced by Kent's sharing his exceptional knowledge about Hawaiian shrubs, trees, flowers, and animals. And I enjoyed seeing my first mongoose in the wild! Probably the biggest thrill was viewing the bright orange lava and plumes of steam from the active volcano under a cloudless, star-studded sky at midnight from our verandah. A forever memory! We attended the John Denver tribute show which was excellent! We also enjoyed the Westerdam singers and dancers, as well as the crew show. We devoted a few afternoons to sitting by the pool with margaritas and beer. I might have worked off a few cruise calories participating in the On Deck for a Cause walk--cold and overcast on several of the days back but then you can't change the weather. And I took two hula classes on-deck! The friendliness, work ethic, and helpfulness of the crew cannot be over-emphasized--they were fantastic! As we were waiting to depart Ensenada for San Diego, I enjoyed watching all the glittering lights on the hillsides...and seeing the crew straggle back by ones, twos, and threes from a night in town--I was glad they got some free time after all their hard work! The entire cruise was a great experience. We had so much fun and all our friends are envious. ;) We would do it again in a heartbeat. Read Less

We scheduled this cruise because it gave us six days on four islands (with an overnight in Honolulu) which seemed to balance out the sea days. It also included a night passing of Kilauea with the spectacular sight of lava entering the sea the highlight of the cruise for me. We have sailed with HAL before on other long cruises and knew that it would be an older crowd (I think only 8 children) with more sedate activities and that was not a concern. We met a lot of interesting people while sailing, often folks who had sailed the same itinerary many times. The Westerdam itself was a very nice ship though larger than we prefer. Considering it is about to go in for refurbishing, it was attractive and in very good condition, not too worn. Our cabin (6046) was behind the elevators but not at all noisy. Our room stewards (Tutu and Gede) were excellent; they knew our names right away, figured out our schedules quickly but worked around days when we spent extra time in the cabin, and were extremely helpful when we had a scooter problem. The balcony even got cleaned off from the collected sea salt several times during sea days. Front desk and shore excursion staff were also quite good. You can tell that there have been cuts to staff in the Lido and dining room as service was not what it once was--but we were usually very well satisfied. In the Lido I saw staff going out of their way to assist some of the many passengers with disabilities--and several times a crew member would carry my plate and drink to the table for me. It was, however, often hard to find someone to clear plates or fill water, especially at dinner. We had open seating dining and this worked well for us since we were willing to share a table. We typically had breakfast and lunch in the Lido where the selection and quality of food were good. I especially liked eggs cooked to order and sushi availability. Hamburgers by the pool and pizza at the Italian station were also good. Soft ice cream availability by the pool was missed. Room service for breakfast was disappointing since the menu is now much more limited--but we did discover that if you wrote something on the order sheet that wasn't on the menu (like bagels and cream cheese) they would provide it. Menu for dinner in the dining room seemed more limited than it used to be, especially the first week, but the food was good. The Lido dinner menu was similar but with the hot appetizers and cold soups missing. One disappointment was that on an 18 day cruise we only had lobster available one night (it was excellent!). Even in the Pinnacle Grill (pay extra restaurant) you pay extra extra for lobster. Perhaps that is why it often seemed almost empty. We had lunch in the Pinnacle one afternoon and enjoyed the quiet there. Our first evening we ate in Canneloni, the extra pay Italian restaurant up on the Lido deck, but find the new menu not nearly as much to our liking as the old. Service was excellent. For us days at sea are for reading, relaxing, talking to people and attending shipboard activities. HAL seems to be cutting back on libraries which is a shame. Entertainment in the showroom was varied and enjoyable, especially the magician and floutist. Unfortunately, if you didn't get there 45 minutes before the early show you wound up with a seat behind a pole or no seat at all. If there was only one show for the night it was even worse. This was the biggest complaint I had with the cruise--seats filling up long before the events and full rooms--which to me is a sign that there was not enough going on from which to choose. This was the case for the showroom, movies, trivia, afternoon tea, cooking demos, pretty much everything. This makes it even more annoying when some people insist on "saving" the better part of a row of seats for friends who come much later. Teas are now in the Ocean Bar--and I miss them being in the dining room (at least some of the time). Educational talks were not as good as I expected from past experience in that they were often not related to the Hawaiian itinerary (really--the Bermuda Triangle when you are mid-Pacific?). The talk as we sailed by the lava flow at midnight was only available in the Crows Nest but the sound should have been broadcast on stateroom TVs for those like us who wanted to watch in PJs. The group of Hawaiian entertainers who were onboard as we sailed to Hawaii were charming and did a very nice job with making leis, teaching hula, etc. The pool area was not often too crowded to find a spot and was enjoyable. Sometimes the pool was like a wave machine but the hot tubs were usable most of the time. Shore excursions did a good job of making things do-able for passengers with disabilities (thank you Debbie). At tender ports the crew members were wonderful helping passengers on and off the tenders in rough waters. We did two privately arranged excursions (Chief's Luau in Honolulu and Marylou's Tours in Hilo) that were reasonable in cost compared to HAL tours. Marylou's was exceptional and I would recommend her to anyone visiting Kona or Hilo. HAL's Pearl Harbor / Arizona tour and Pali Coast tour in Honolulu were both good but had much more overlap than was evident from the descriptions. Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour and time sitting along the nearby beach were a great way to spend a day in Kauai. A Trilogy Catamaran tour in Maui was not a good choice for anyone in need of shade or who wound up in the back of the vessel where you could not hear the narration. Two hours mid-day on the water in the sun was too much for many on board. It also was too high in price when purchased through the ship--there were definitely better and more reasonably priced options available on-shore--but we did see whales!! I wish we had done another Marylou tour in Kona as that had more personalized guidance at the sites (Coffee museum and store, Painted Church, and a Refuge along the beach) but our ship arranged tour was good as we went from one place to another. I very much enjoyed this cruise and think it is a wonderful way to see Hawaii. In spite of some corner cutting with staffing HAL continues to provide a good experience for the price. Read Less

We chose this cruise due to destination and because we got a good deal price wise. Our cabin was tiny and ill arranged but guess that goes with the great price. Our senior room steward was Tutu and he was wonderful. Very efficient and intuitive and he somehow remembered everyone's name on the first day! Food on Lido and in main dining room surprisingly lacked the quality we are accustomed to on our cruises. Meats were tough and tasteless and there were few vegetable choices in the "Bistro" section of the Lido. The "Asian" and "Italian" sections of the Lido were however outstanding. Desserts were lackluster and saved only buy Ice Cream! Even sandwiches were disappointing -- breads not fresh and the crust on all of them were tough. I heard this from several other people so its not just me. Shops, Ship Offices and clubs and bistros were located on lower levels of ship decks so there were fewer cabins available on lower decks for those of us who tend to get seasick. Ships staff and services were all wonderful! I will not choose this ship again. I prefer the old style Maasdam/Zandaam size and layout. Read Less

My mom and I booked this cruise through Craft Cruises as a knitting cruise - so we didn't specifically choose this ship, it just happened to be the ship and the itinerary associated with the craft trip. Having said that, HAL exceeded my expectations in every way. I've cruised with NCL, Disney, and Cunard, but this was my first time with HAL; HAL is now my favorite line (maybe tied with Disney). The food and service, especially, were excellent. I'm a vegetarian, and I enjoy cooking and eating exotic / gourmet food. I was particularly impressed with the variety of vegetarian options in the MDR. When we booked, I was concerned because the Westerdam is due to be overhauled next month. So I was particularly impressed that the ship seemed to be in excellent shape, no more worn or dirty than any other ship I've cruised. Because we had knitting classes each sea day, and other group activities, I didn't get to try out any of the ship's entertainment or enrichment activities. I did visit the spa several times, and it was comparable to most other ships. I would absolutely sail with HAL again, and in particular, I'd love to see the Westerdam after it's overhaul. Read Less

While the Westerdam is not one of the newest ship of the fleet, it certainly is one of the friendliest! The staff and crew were unbelievably wonderful and made us feel like family. We chose this particular voyage because there were multiple days at sea and the Hawaiian destination. Due to bad weather, our itinerary was changed, but the Captain took advantage of it by allowing us to see the volcano up close (relatively speaking). Probably the best food we've had on any HAL cruise we been on, and generous portions. The new Test Kitchen was a real plus for me...not only in attending presentations, but also in participating in a hands-on class. The Hawaiian 'ambassadors' on hand were excellent!!! I learned on to play the ukulele, make a fresh lei, and make two different bracelets. These ambassadors also taught passengers how to hula. The four-person team also did a number of presentations. I cannot say enough positive things about that team! As always, the ship's singers and dancers were excellent and I felt that they use more technology in their shows which made them even more fun. The Filipino and Indonesian crews worked very hard on their shows, but I have to say, the Indonesian one was a riot! While excellent talent, it was the humor that stoled the show. My only complaint of the cruise was having to use the ferries in Cablo San Lucas along with HAL tenders. I didn't think the Cablo pilots were as careful. Going in and out of San Diego is a breeze. With the cruise terminal so close to everything, passengers can easily get from one place to another. Read Less

We have enjoyed several Holland America cruises, and were our friends who had moved to San Diego invited us to join them. We looked forward to 11 sea days of relaxation and the possibility of playing bridge with other interested players, plus 5 days in 4 Hawaiian islands. (Because of an unexpected tropical storm, we missed Kawaii, but appreciated the captain's keeping us safe. HA adjusted the schedule to add a day in Oahu, provided free telephone calls for those of us who had booked shore excursions with independent agencies, and automatically credited passengers who had booked cancelled excursions through HA -- all very professional). Embarkation and disembarkation went smoothly, with reasonable waits to board and disembark. Disembarkation was unusually fast in the San Diego port, As noted in the "professional review," the Westerdam is unique in its providing a high ratio of space, relative to a moderate number of passengers. This gives us plenty of room to walk the Promenade deck (3) and upper deck (10) without crowding, or even having to walk up/down stairs while completing a circle (unlike some larger ships). There is also ample room in the main entertainment theater (no reservations needed, but come early for good seats), and various public areas where relaxation and sea views are easy. We liked our Verandah Suite cabin (reviewed below), and the cabin service was outstanding, and almost equaled by the great service in the main dining room and Lido Market deck (the best Lido Deck food and service we've had in 10+ cruises). The main dining rooms were lovely, and we were given a nice table near the water for the early dinner (see picture). Food was very good, and if you didn't like an item you ordered, the very friendly/efficient server was glad to bring something you would like better. We also enjoyed two dinners in the Pinnacle Grill, which had outstanding food and service. Room service provided a good menu at all times, very prompt and friendly service, and was complimentary for full menus, unlike some other cruise lines that have recently started adding service charges for room service. We particularly enjoyed room service breakfasts served at our convenience on days with early shore excursions. We also appreciated the cruise line providing us with space and equipment for duplicate bridge during the 11 sea days (out of 17) on the cruise, although it took a lot of "pushing" by bridge players and three professional bridge "directors" who were passengers and generously volunteered their services for free. It is hoped that future Holland America cruises will automatically include duplicate bridge, which is increasingly important to many cruise passengers. Entertainment in the main theater was not as good as previous HA cruises. With a couple of exceptions, the entertainers were mediocre. The smaller lounges had better talent, especially BB King and Adagio. One final comment is that even through some heavy seas, the ship's stability was very good, even in the rear dining rooms and our cabin, which was towards the rear. We would happily sail the Westerdam again. Read Less

Chose this for many (10) sea days. Mistake. Very little to do in daytime. No bridge instructor, no craft instructor, same dull games, poor lecturers who read script. TV only Sports, MSNBC, FOX, BBC. Too cold and windy to walk outside. Bring your Kindle books. Best were the Filipino and Indonesian staff and the company performances very good with memorable visuals never have I seen on a ship. Dining room was tops with many choices though they had trouble with special requests and serving the soup hot and ice cream still hard frozen. The Lido at meal times was not pleasant with no clear line order. The fish was very good even though mostly from frozen. Nicely cooked. They said the salmon they served was caught by crew in Alaska last summer. You can order several lobster tails on the gala night. The beef was always tender and rib roast cooked to perfection. And I enjoyed the strong coffee. Become a Carnival Corp shareholder (100 shares) for a handy shipboard credit. Read Less

Sailing out of my home port was attractive and I'm now four star with HAL. The service, per usual, was outstanding, but some changes are worth noting. No more librarian is bad news and whoever is now responsible at the home office needs to take a few collection lessons. Books were disorganized and using the location specialist as an occasional organizer just does not fly. The ship singers and dancers were outstanding and the newer shows were great, but 'Ever After' needs to be permanently shelved. The imported talent were a mixed bag. The Hawaiian ambassadors got great reviews and the magician was a fast talking, card sharking guy. I'm very sorry I missed the night when he used pomeranians ';cause I might have liked him a bit better with some warm fuzzies around. The comic was so-so at best -- too much 'insult' humor. Cruise Director Erin was lovely and seemed to keep things moving effectively and I truly enjoyed hearing the captain giving our bearings and talking about the 'wedder' every day, but I'd like to have seen him around and about more often. Another sad thing was that none of the outstanding lectures were recorded. We were quite able to see all the HAL sales items on TV, but the outstanding lectures are now a one time only offering. I'd much rather have seen them again than another shot at buying from the spa or the shops. BAD policy, HAL. I may have to head for ships that value lectures rather than bingo in the future. HAL undoubtedly knows what SELLS, but some of us need IQ offerings as well. Oddly, I felt that the food in the dining room had improved since my last cruise and that was great news. As a solo sailer, the Lido is usually purgatory requiring multiple trips to the buffet and begging for table space, but the FOOD was consistently GOOD in dining room and Lido. I did not do either of the specialty restaurants. The band has lost too many members, but the five who were (2 keyboards, 2 guitars, 1 drummer) did a yeoman's job satisfying the fox trotting dancers in the Ocean Bar and all the different imported talents. Bravo, them! The excursions, particularly the Dolphin Experience were in Puerto Vallarta were well researched and enjoyable, and disembarkation was a breeze. Read Less

We chose this cruise at the last minute just to get away from our unseasonably cold weather. We couldn't believe how Holland America had changed since last fall. There were hardly any books in the library, and the ones that were there were mostly Fantasy and SCI_FI - not our "cup of tea". They have no attendant and the books are placed "haphazardly" on the shelves. They had changed the WIFI and one now has to purchase unlimited for the whole cruise - I think it was $179, or close to that for 17 days. As we just wanted to check our email, that sounded pretty steep! We did inquire if as 5 star we would get $55 off,(it still lists under 5 star benefits that each 5 star gets half price of $55 for 100 mins) but were told that we would have to purchase 2 packages (his & her's) to get that off - and why would you do that when one gives you unlimited minutes-DAH?? The band is even smaller and there are no wind instruments, any longer, and definitely no dance band-(though that has been gone for 2 years) and as a result we only had 5 nights out of 17 to dance as the band was required for the show the other nights. There were also no dance hosts. The on board (free) activities were cut way back - no dance lessons, the lecturers subject were boring and the lecturers , though pleasant people, were not good lecturers. We had 11 sea days and in the past that number of sea days would have brought a couple of first rate lecturers and interesting subjects - 4 lectures on the laws of space and another 3 on laws of the Poles did not keep an audience. There was no boat building contest, no welcome aboard lunch or reception for long serving Mariners, on departing, and we could go on and on. However the Holland America crew still keep us coming back. They seem to try and compensate for all that has recently been cut and their smiling faces shine through. They are all so pleasant and helpful. We did not feel that the food choice or quality of food had changed and even though we were shocked at the other changes we will probably sail with them again as their itineraries are so great, but we certainly will be looking further afield. Happy sailing, McSweeney Read Less

We've been sailing with HAL since 1978 and the food, service and entertainment were excellent. We did not sail on the 24 day collectors voyage but only the 17 day San Diego to Hawaii and back to San Diego leg. It was a wonderful vacation especially with the Hawaiian Troupe that was brought on ship from San Diego to Hilo. They were terrific entertainers and crafts people. We did have a few small problems that when brought to the attention of the Front Office, were fixed immediately. We met wonderful people, ate delicious food that was served with not just one smile, but many smiles and were eager to please us in any way they could. The people who complained about service and food on this ship complained about EVERYTHING. - there was just no pleasing them. I ran across one passenger who complained that one of the doors in the lido was put in the wrong place and was upsetting her. Need I say more? We ate breakfast in the dining room and the lido, lunch in the lido, had tea in the afternoon and dinner in the dining room and also both restaurants. The food everywhere was delicious with hot things hot and cold items cold. They were presented beautifully by wonderful staff, some of the best we've ever had. The only (negative?) comment I have is I would not know the Captain if I fell over him! He was only known to me by his voice over the PA system and not physically present around the ship, or introduced at the beginning of the cruise with his staff as on prior cruises. Read Less

SWe had a nice trip to Hawaii. Be ready for a long time at Sea. We were busy in the carvers room as we joined on in a carvers group. However, I think there is enough to keep one busy on this ship. It has a nice active schedule for everyone. This was not a trip for children as we saw only about 4 total on the adventure. Although I am sure they enjoyed their excursions in Hawaii. You might have to do your own plans as the ship was lacking in the excursion category. Ricky's Tour in Hilo was great for getting to see that area and the Volcano also. If you have time go to Paradise Cove for that dinner and show. Their bus will take you back to the port. You have to take a taxi to the Mona Loa Hotel for starters but that went well also. That bus reserved us four seats in front. So kind of them and easy for our journey. This was all done before .we left the states. Our Pacific Whale Watch we booked before hand too. We had to change the date due to our ship changing ports but that went well. The Whale watch on the ships excursions was cancelled all together. The weather was fine... A little work on your own and you should enjoy the islands. Although I always find one day is not enough for exploring. We'd change the food choices to more Italian and American foods The ship is gorgeous and the rooms were fine, beds also. Our Stewards were fantastic and knew our names. Fun and friendly ship and people. Read Less

thought with 11 sea days there would be a lot of onboard activities....there were if you wanted to buy art, buy wine, buy spa treatments, buy a tour of the kitchen, buy old t-shirts, buy next cruise.....buy....buy...buy..- means bye - bye HAL....ciao ! Cruise director and staff were good looking.......no other discernible assets or skills. No people skills....afraid to interact with passengers.....could not even handle a sail-away or deck party. I was longing for a hokey disco night or country and western night....even a Hawaiian night....IT WAS A CRUISE TO HAWAII AFTERALL....no such luck with these dim bulbs. They get an A+ for their sense of self-importance......"we have been all around the world, you know"..............too bad you did not learn anything in your travels LIDO salad bar and LIDO omelets best thing on the ship....service from all the waiters and stewards in he LIDO buffet was excellent.....main dining room was average minus Read Less